“A little black goat appears to have joined an elk herd near the Devil’s Backbone, causing wonderment and a bunch of photo snapping among residents in the area,” reportsThe Loveland Reporter-Herald. “People who have seen the bull elk and the little black goat a few times over the past week said the goat hangs out and runs with the herd, traveling from spot to spot along U.S. 34, Glade Road and in the neighborhoods on the west side of the Backbone. ‘We are convinced he thinks he’s an elk,’ said resident Lisa Bounds. ‘It’s hilarious.'”

“A multi-million dollar expansion of the fire station on east 32nd Street is underway. Durango Fire Protection District expects to spend $3.1 million to expand the 1,000-square-foot Fire Station No. 3 into a 10,600 square-foot building that will house additional vehicles and staff,” reportsThe Durango Herald. “Northern Durango has seen residential and commercial growth in recent years driving the need to improve the 20-year-old station. The station’s staff is also responding to a rapidly growing number of emergency calls each year, said Fire Chief Hal Doughty. The station staff responds to about 800 emergency calls annually, he said.”

Gordon Kolisnyk loved socks. Either that, his friends said, or he was smuggling them to his friend Rico Mean, a fellow homeless man grappling with Colorado’s cold winter on the Longmont streets. Kolisnyk died this year,” reportsThe Longmont Times-Call, “along with seven others within Longmont’s close-knit homeless community who were memorialized Monday evening at Journey Church. The ceremony, hosted by Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement, or HOPE, was part of a push by the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Consumer Advisory Board and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council to hold events on or near Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year.”

“As a little girl was walking along the City Market parking lot, she discovered a ring much more valuable than the diamonds embedded in it,” reportsThe Canon City Daily Record. “After a fun evening at the movies, 5-year-old Sky Pierce walked with her aunt and brother into City Market. As they walked through the parking lot, a glimpse of something shiny caught her eye. Sky had found a diamond wedding ring. She immediately showed it to her aunt, Christina Ireland. Sky was eager to find the ring’s owner. The family went into City Market and left it with customer service.”

“The River Mile project won crucial approvals of the Denver City Council with votes on Monday night that drew a broad portrait of the district-sized redevelopment plan,” reportsThe Denver Post. “The council approved a development agreement and a rezoning for the 58-acre property, which is currently home to the Elitch Gardens amusement park. The change gives developer Rhys Duggan high-level approvals for a plan to build roughly 8,000 residential units and some of the city’s tallest buildings along the South Platte River.”

“A 16-year-old male – a former student at Fort Morgan High School – was arrested Tuesday night at his home on a police warrant for interfering with the staff, faculty or students of an education institution, according to Fort Morgan police,” reportsThe Fort Morgan Times. “Because he is a juvenile, the name of the former student was not publicly released. The arrest came following the results of a joint investigation by Fort Morgan police and the Morgan County School District Re-3 into an anonymous tip that a former student had made in October to harm current FMHS students this week at the school, according to Fort Morgan police Cmdr. Loren Sharp and Morgan County School District Re-3 Superintendent Dr. James Hammack.”

“The Lake Christine fire in July threatened numerous homes and properties in Eagle and Pitkin counties, but Garfield County leaders are concerned the lower Roaring Fork Valley is also in danger of flooding,” reportsThe Glenwood Springs Post Independent. “The Forest Service reported on the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts to the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners Monday. While the BAER team did not model flood risk beyond the burn area, the conditions are there for disastrous floods that could affect homes in lower Cattle Creek.

“A local man is facing two felony charges after allegedly chasing a female friend with a knife and not allowing her to leave a residence Sunday, according to a law enforcement report,” reportsThe Aspen Times. “Shawn Powell, 34, of the Old Snowmass area was charged with felony menacing with a deadly weapon, felony false imprisonment, misdemeanor harassment and domestic violence.”

“James ‘Jim’ Avery, a former professor and administrator at the University of Colorado, has died at the age of 68,” reportsThe Boulder Daily Camera. “He died Dec. 1 after a year-and-a-half battle with a rare form of blood cancer, according to his obituary. He has been hailed as a thoughtful educator and groundbreaking researcher, as well as a kind and inquisitive man with a passion for tinkering and learning.”

“Colorado Springs police on Monday began bulldozing the remainder of the Quarry homeless encampment southeast of downtown, even as a new federal report suggested encampments across the nation might be on the rise,” reportsThe Colorado Springs Gazette. “No trespassing citations were issued when city crews ended the city’s largest homeless camp in years, covering about 10 acres of private property just outside the Lowell neighborhood. Police began clearing out the Quarry on Dec. 11, but it held off bulldozing a final parcel amid questions about its ownership. Those questions were resolved Wednesday, though, and police posted notices that day warning people to leave.”

“Breckenridge could be plugging into a new solar garden in Lake County. Town officials made the announcement last week, saying that Breckenridge will become the anchor tenant of a solar garden planned for Lake County,” reportsThe Summit Daily. “Over the phone Monday, assistant director of community development Mark Truckey — who’s been instrumental in Breckenridge’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly — detailed the anticipated size of the planned solar garden and what it could mean for the town’s power portfolio, clean-energy commitments and its pocketbook.

The Colorado Independent is a statewide online news source operating in a time when spin is plentiful, but factual, fair and unflinching news in the public interest is all too rare. Our award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.

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The Colorado Independent's award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.

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OUR MISSION

The Colorado Independent's award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.